MEPC - TeachMideast - Educational Resources on the Middle East and Islam

Culture

Teacher Institutes

MEPC provides free, highly acclaimed, non-partisan workshops on the Middle East and Islam across the U.S. Our education director Barbara Petzen will come to your school, organization or conference with innovative strategies for teaching these complex topics. We tailor workshops to your specific needs!

Arab Culture & Civilization

Explore this exemplary library of articles and resources on Arab societies and culture. This site was originally created by the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE).

Culture

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We may think about "Islamic civilization," but that does not give us a very realistic idea of the diversity and modernity of the cultural production of the Middle East today. Of course, there still practitioners of the classical arts like calligraphy, ebru or paper marbling, miniature painting, Quranic recitation and singing of both Sufi and folk songs, shadow puppetry, tentmaking, zilij tilework, folk dance, and many more-and in fact, many of these arts are being revived under the patronage of the various states in order to maintain them as living traditions.

At the same time, artists in and from the Middle East, whether they work in music, the visual arts, film, dance, or other media, also produce works using the international vocabulary of contemporary art. Some may fuse elements of the traditional with these contemporary works while others express themselves wholly within a modern context. Americans are much less used to seeing or hearing contemporary art from the Middle East, so we are excited to showcase some of these works and artists and provide links to others.

Essays

A Global Guide to Islamic Art

While some types of Islamic art, such as Qur'an manuscripts, mosque lamps or carved wooden minbars (pulpits), are directly concerned with the faith and practice of Islam, the majority of objects considered to be "Islamic art" are called so simply because they were made in societies where Islam was the dominant religion.

A Trade Like Any Other - Female Singers and Dancers in Egypt

Karin Van Nieuwkerk describes four clusters of related female entertainers from Egypt. In the first section, she introduces Umm Muhammad, the oldest female performer of Muhammad 'Ali Street, and Ibtisam, who belongs to the present generation. These life histories illustrate the developments in the profession during the last fifty years.

Middle East Book Awards

MEOC's Middle East Book Awards recognize outstanding picture books, youth literature and nonfiction on the Middle East suitable for use in the K-12 classroom. The books are judged on the authenticity of their portrayal of a Middle Eastern subject, as well as on their characterization, plot, and appeal for the intended audience.

Soundscapes of Islam: The Call to Prayer and Qur'an Recitation

Sound is an intrinsic part of all our lives, an important component of what we consider "home." The soundtracks of our lives, if you will, are made up of the sounds that normally surround us in our home environment and those that we chose to add to it, like music.

Activities

Mosque Lamp Activity

This lesson inspires students to create a mosque lamp modeled on those that for centuries lit the interior of mosques, using inexpensive candle holders and air-dry glass paint. Students will learn about the Arabic script and decorate the lamp with an Arabic proverb. They will also learn about the symbolism of light in a multicultural context.